


on a rainy night like this

by earlgrey_milktea



Series: milktea's saso2017 fills [48]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Final Haikyuu Quest, Angst, Injury, M/M, Prompt Fill, Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 15:24:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11671824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlgrey_milktea/pseuds/earlgrey_milktea
Summary: Kenma in the inn with Kageyama's bow.





	on a rainy night like this

**Author's Note:**

> original prompt [here](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/24808.html?thread=15049704#cmt15049704)

It’s almost midnight and still pouring relentlessly by the time Kenma pushes open the tavern door. Shouyou is up and limping towards him before Suga can hold him down. 

“Kenma,” Shouyou says. He wobbles on his good leg, holds onto the edge of an empty table to keep from falling over. “Kenma,” he says again. “Please.”

Kenma has his hood up, the once pristine mage’s robe from the castle dirty and worn and soaking wet. He’s dripping a puddle where he stands in front of the door. He doesn’t answer.

“Kenma,” Shouyou pleads, but Suga is there, guiding him into a chair. Shouyou goes, but he keeps his eyes on Kenma. His friend had promised him he would do his best to search out there, had promised him he would do what he can in place of Shouyou. 

But he had returned alone.

“Let him warm up first,” Suga suggests gently. He gestures for Kenma to join Shouyou at the table, and bustles off to find a mop. Daichi makes his way over with warm cider for the both of them, even though Shouyou’s barely-eaten dinner still sits by the bar. The tavern is empty save for them, while the rest of their party, or at least, the ones that made it to this meeting point, are passed out upstairs. 

Kenma pulls down his hood. There’s a gash on his forehead, and his eyes, usually a gold that almost seems to glow, are dull. There’s a haunted expression in his eyes that almost makes Shouyou too afraid to ask.

But he has to. He can still hear the low voice in his ear, hissing at him to run, run far away to safety. He can still feel familiar hands on his face, the brush of lips against his forehead, so warm and yet the memory fading so fast. He needs to know.

Just as he opens his mouth to ask again, Kenma lifts his gaze to meet Shouyou’s. “I’m sorry,” is all he says, and something cracks inside Shouyou’s chest. Kenma shuffles his robes, and then, slowly, with careful hands, produces two wooden halves and places them on the table.

Shouyou recognizes the shade of that wood. He recognizes the make, the handcrafted curve. It’s Kageyama’s bow, and it’s broken in two.

“I tried, but the rain has washed away everything,” Kenma is saying. His usually soft voice is muted, sounding from far away. “My tracking spells go nowhere. I did run into Ku—a demon, but that’s. Not important. This was all I could find. I’m sorry, Shouyou.”

With shaky hands, Shouyou reaches out to touch the bow. He’s always been jealous of Kageyama’s skill, but if he’s honest with himself, he’s always been entirely too captivated with Kageyama’s archery, too. There’s a lump in his throat. Dimly, he can hear Daichi ask Kenma about the demon and why Kenma seems to know its name, Suga hovering behind him in concern. 

His eyes sting when he closes them. He takes a few deep breaths. His leg still throbs where he hurt it. When Shouyou opens his eyes again, there’s only fierce determination.

“I’m going after him,” he says, and the others quiet, watching him. 

“Shou—”

“He’s alive.” Shouyou glares back at Kenma, daring him to contradict. “He has to be. Kageyama, he—he promised. He promised me we’d make it to the mountain top together. He promised.”

Suga and Daichi exchange a look, but Kenma holds Shouyou’s gaze. Shouyou’s fingers tremble even as he clenches them around the broken bow. Eventually, Kenma lowers his eyes, and nods.

“Okay, Shouyou,” says Kenma. “When the rain stops. We’ll go get Tobio back.”

**Author's Note:**

> @puddingcatbae on tumblr/twitter


End file.
